Simple Chicken Biriyani

I loveee briyanis and I enjoy making them but only when I am in the right mood to make them. I’ve noticed if someone makes me mad while I am cooking especially by crowding the kitchen while I am cooking the dish won’t turn out as I expect. So whenever I am making biryani, since it is kind of a longer process I make sure that everyone is out of my way and I am left alone.

This is a very simple briyani dish and came out very well. Please give it a try…

Ingredients:

For rice:

Basmati Rice: 3.5 cups, washed and soaked for 30 minutes

Cloves: 5

Cardamom: 3, slightly crushed

Cinnamon: 1” stick

Bay Leaves: 2

Mint: about 10 leaves

Turmeric Powder: ¼ tsp

Ghee: 1 tsp

Salt

For Masala:

Chicken: 3 lbs, (I used chicken legs for this dish)

Onion: 2 big, thinly sliced

Ginger-Garlic Paste: 2 tsp

Green Chili: 2, minced

Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp

Coriander Powder: 3.5 Tbsp

Chili Powder: 2.5 tsp

Garam Masala: 1 tsp

Shahi Jeera: 1 tsp

Fennel Seeds: 1 tsp

Cloves: 5

Cardamom: 3

Cinnamon: 1” stick

Mint leaves: ½ cup, minced

Cilantro: ½ cup

Ghee: 2 Tbsp

Vinegar: 2 tsp

Salt

Cashews: Handful

Raisins: Handful

Marinate Chicken:

Lemon Juice: 2 Tbsp

Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp

Chili Powder: 1 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1.5 tsp

Yogurt: ½ cup

Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1 tsp

Salt

To make Rice:

In a thick bottom pan heat ghee and add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, turmeric powder, and salt and sauté for about a minute or two

Add soaked rice with enough water and mint leaves and cook till rice is almost cooked but still has a bite to it

Drain the rice and set aside

To make Masala:

Marinate chicken using the ingredients under Marinate Chicken for 45 minutes

Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pan and fry cashews and raisins and set aside

Add 1 Tbsp of ghee in the same pan and add marinated chicken pieces and cook till its brown on the outside, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer that to another dish and let it set for few minutes

In the mean time add rest of the ghee to the pan and add fennel seeds, shahi jeera, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom for 2 minutes

Add onion, ginger-garlic paste and green chilies to this and let it sauté for about 5 minutes

Add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt to this, sauté till the raw smell goes away

Now add the chicken back to the pan along with vinegar and mix well

Add ¼ cup of water, cover and cook in medium heat for about 15 minutes

Open the lid add mint and cilantro to the pan, mix well and cook it uncovered for another 10 minutes in medium heat

Now layer the rice, and chicken, to an oven safe dish with lid, add cashews and raisins on top, drizzle some ghee on top, and cover tight with the lid

Preheat the oven and transfer the dish to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes (425 degree F)

Serve the dish with pickle, raita, and pappadam!!!